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To celebrate the grand opening of the Nordic Museum, performers, artists, and writers from the Nordic regions were showcased throughout the city during the month of May.

On Wednesday, May 23, Icelandic author Hallgrímur Helgason (101 Reykjavik and The Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning read from his recently translated book, Woman at 1000 Degrees. He discussed the Icelandic predilection towards silence, the un-anchored character of this relatively new modern nation, and the origins of Herra, Hallgrímur’s anti-heroine — a real person Hallgrímur met briefly, purely by accident.

It is the the sort of book that crawls under your skin, nestles into your brain, and cannot be easily dislodged. It is heartbreaking and hilarious, epic in scope yet deeply personal. Herra is cantankerous, mischievous, sharp-witted and equally sharp-tongued. His portrait of her makes her an unforgettable character.

The SRSCA Book Club will discuss Woman at 1000 Degrees on July 22. For more information about time and place, email Alicia.

The following evening, Lowely (DK) and Sóley (ÍS) filled the Museum’s Grand Osberg Hall with their dreamy melodies. Sóley was charming, delighting the audience with her banter and her delicate lullabies suitable for ghosts. The entire audience took to the floor, sitting crossölegged, after she joked, “standing at concerts is hard. Please don’t get up. Sit down and enjoy the show.” She debuted a new song, which she promises will be on her forthcoming album, something she described as an “accordion drone album about the apocalypse.”

Our thanks to the programming staff at the Nordic Museum and their army of volunteers for making these shows possible.

Need an excuse to visit Iceland? Do you run really, really long distances? Sign up for the Reykjavik Marathon and sprint your way through our beautiful sister city. SRSCA board member Alica visited Iceland for the first time to run the marathon.

After nearly two decades of planning, the Nordic Museum opened their new, architecturally smashing location last weekend, becoming an instant landmark and anchor on the western end of Market. An avalanche of amazing activities made this a hard-to-forget event. Here are just some of the highlights:

On Friday, May 4, Icelandic President Guðni Jóhannesson addressed the World Affairs Council, discussing Iceland’s leadership role in gender equality, steps Iceland is taking to become carbon neutral, and Iceland’s oceanic stewardship efforts. As he warmed to the crowd, Mr. Jóhannesson cracked jokes and amiably answered challenging questions from the crowd.

Following the public event, the SRSCA Board presented Mr. Jóhannesson with a welcome gift containing books about Seattle, an enviable collection of Fran’s Chocolates, and a scarf supporting the Seattle Sounders. The President joked that he hoped we would support the Iceland football team as they take on the world in the upcoming World Cup; we couldn’t resist the Viking Clap chant: “Hú!”

On Saturday, May 5, the Nordic Museum opened their doors to the public with a fanfare-filled ribbon cutting. President Jóhannesson opened the ceremony (read his opening remarks HERE). Her Royal Highness Mary the Crown Princess of Denmark, representatives from all the Nordic countries, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkin, the Secretary General from the Nordic Council of Ministers, and others joined the opening remarks.

We were on hand Saturday and Sunday to share information about traveling to Iceland. We talked to many people curious about traveling to the stunning country; thanks to IcelandAir and Iceland Naturally for the bountiful swag and our friends at the Iceland Club of Greater Seattle who co-hosted the table. Thank you too to the volunteers who helped share their love of Iceland.

On Saturday evening, the Great Fjord Hall shook with the rocking sounds of the opening night concert. Spry Baby in Vain (DK), thoughtful Mikko Joensuu (FI), hard-driving Mammút (IS), and dark-rock powerhouse Chelsea Wolf (US) broke in the pin-drop-tested-acoustical-delight Osberg Great Hall with a riotous thunderclap of gorgeous noise. What a way to open a Museum!

On Sunday, the operatic quartet Raddir Reykjavíkur (Voices of Reykjavik), filled Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church in north Ballard with their exquisite voices. Icelandic Men’s Chorus (Karlakórinn Fóstbræður), who traveled to Seattle for the opening at the special request of President Jóhannesson, performed their “This Shining Light” concert. The audience was treated to traditional songs in Icelandic, Old Norse, Swedish, Finish and Norwegian. Their reputation as one of Europe’s finest choruses is well deserved. Both groups performed at the Museum on Saturday.